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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rule — government
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. branch — a division
  19. land — a country
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — help

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