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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. sharp — clever
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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