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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. court — of law
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pop — to visit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pop — music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pop — soda

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