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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. staff — a stick
  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