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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — a measure
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tear — from crying
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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