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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 120 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: fall · last · pitcher · calf · charge · bulb · hand · nail

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bulb — for light
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. charge — in control
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — the season
  13. charge — electricity
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — help
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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