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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — clever
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ground — a position
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chip — for betting
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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