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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for golf
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — help
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. fall — the season
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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