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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a trace
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. staff — employees
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mark — a grade
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — with an edge

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