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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rock — a stone
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. charge — a price
  10. ball — a great time
  11. charge — in control
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a line of people

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