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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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Word bank
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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — a match
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. game — wild animals
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — clever
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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