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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: last · calf · stand · shower · race · firm · kid · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. last — final
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. last — finally
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — to bear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — a contest
  18. firm — steady
  19. race — the arms race
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. firm — decided
  22. toast — bread
  23. firm — a company
  24. stand — on your feet

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