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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 124 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. calf — a young 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