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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — in control
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. charge — a price
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — in football
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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