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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — of the leg

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