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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — to drill
  5. swing — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bore — to tire
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. swing — to play on
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. object — a thing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. staff — employees
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. staff — employees

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