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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. firm — a company
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — finally
  5. row — a line
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. last — final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — decided
  23. rest — a break
  24. calf — a young animal

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