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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 124 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. date — the fruit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — final
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — to go on
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — finally
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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