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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: wake · last · bore · firm · court · file · land · calf

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a line of people
  3. land — to come down
  4. bore — to drill
  5. firm — steady
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bore — to tire
  8. file — a tool
  9. land — ground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — a country
  12. firm — a company
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — final
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — to go on

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