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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. bound — certain
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. march — music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — the 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