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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: bark · calf · last · row · stick · bat · cap · mark

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — finally
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cap — a hat
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — final
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. row — a line
  23. bat — the animal
  24. calf — a young 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