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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. present — the time now
  6. march — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mug — a face
  15. present — there
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. mug — to rob
  22. drill — army training
  23. sharp — clever
  24. capital — a city

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