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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lean — to bend
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bound — obliged
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — certain
  16. swing — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — thin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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