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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 · snap · ruler · tube · last · hand · band · chair

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. hand — in cards
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. last — to go on
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tube — a container
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a music group

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