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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. toast — bread
  6. band — a music group
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. root — the cause
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. root — of a word
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fine — all right
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — clever

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