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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. club — a group
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rash — a series
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — magic
  14. bear — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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