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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. present — there
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mug — a cup
  10. tear — to rip
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — in music
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. mug — a face
  17. key — the most important part
  18. present — a gift
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — clever
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mug — to rob

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