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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. land — a country
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — high quality
  22. scale — in music
  23. fine — all right
  24. tube — the underground

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