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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — a group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — tied together
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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