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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · calf · last · mark · ground · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — a thing
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. object — to protest

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