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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. branch — a division
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. plane — a tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — an aircraft

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