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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.

Make a worksheet

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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — a stick
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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