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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: season · foot · last · firm · bark · roll · calf · bat

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — finally
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. firm — steady
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. firm — a company
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — in sport
  18. roll — a cake
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. last — final
  24. bat — the animal

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