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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. branch — a division
  15. pop — soda
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. face — to confront
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pop — to visit
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pop — music
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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