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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — a path
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — a song
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bound — obliged
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — army training
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — certain
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. face — part of the head
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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