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

Word bank: clip · calf · last · stick · craft · rule

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — a law
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. last — to go on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rule — government
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — boats

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