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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — child
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitch — completely
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mug — to rob
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. season — of the year
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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