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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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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: pop · board · clip · mug · last · object · shower · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. object — an aim
  3. board — a committee
  4. last — finally
  5. shower — rain
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pop — soda
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. mug — to rob
  12. last — final
  13. clip — for paper
  14. board — to get on
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a face
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pop — to visit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — music
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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