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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — decided
  9. tear — to rip
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. firm — a company
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — ground
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — steady
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — a country
  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