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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: wound · wave · ground · rule · file · last · chair · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rule — a law
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ground — a position
  15. rule — government
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. file — a line of people
  20. last — finally
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — crushed
  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