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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 116 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — in music
  15. present — there
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — of the year
  23. present — a gift
  24. scale — size or range

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