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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — for a lock
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — in music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — clever
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. key — the most important part

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