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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mug — a face
  6. track — a path
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — letters
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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