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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. 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. The water is too ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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. cold — not warm
  6. scale — in music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kid — to tease
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — clever

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