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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. last — final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — finally
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cabinet — ministers

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