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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. can — a tin
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — letters
  6. charge — a price
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — there
  17. charge — in control
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — to be able to
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. calf — of the leg

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