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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. field — a subject
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — a measure

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