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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: mark · kick · squash · last · calf · cell · spring · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — finally
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. last — final
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cell — a phone
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — to go on
  24. spring — of water

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