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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. object — an aim
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. object — to protest
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. object — a thing
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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