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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: mark · rush · rule · calf · spell · shower · last · pop

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — hurry
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. rule — a law
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spell — magic
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rule — government
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. last — final

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