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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. file — a tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. file — a document
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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