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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — a series
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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