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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a word
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. row — to paddle
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. row — a line
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. root — the cause
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. can — to be able to

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