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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: calf · mine · swing · last · coach · wake · rash · firm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. firm — steady
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — a series
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — a company
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. firm — decided
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. swing — music

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