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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. key — for a lock
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a line of people
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pass — a permit

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