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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rock — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. sharp — clever
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mug — to rob
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. hand — help
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — a face
  24. rest — what's left

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