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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spell — letters
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — army training
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — magic
  8. last — final
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bank — of a river
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com