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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — a position
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — of the year

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