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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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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: rash · last · ball · dip · saw · rule · calf · hand

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — government
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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