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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pit — a hole
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — for digging
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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