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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. drill — army training
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. sharp — clever
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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