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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: calf · squash · firm · last · spring · pop · toast · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. last — final
  4. roll — a list
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. firm — decided
  10. toast — bread
  11. pop — soda
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pop — music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — a company
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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