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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — to handle
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mate — a friend
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — for digging
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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