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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. content — happy
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bore — to tire
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rush — a thrill

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