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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: calf · ruler · wake · cold · hide · scale · suit · last

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. scale — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. scale — size or range
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — in cards
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. last — finally
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. suit — clothes

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