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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: present · game · pound · pop · toast · trunk · calf · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — to visit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pound — a weight
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. present — a gift
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — music
  12. present — there
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pop — soda
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. last — final
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — finally
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. toast — bread

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