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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. sharp — clever
  7. foot — a measure
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — help
  20. kick — in football
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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