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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. deal — to handle
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. suit — in cards
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. fork — in a road

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