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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. face — to point toward
  5. staff — a stick
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — part of the head
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — a group
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. club — for golf
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bowl — a dish
  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