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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cold — not warm
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. perch — for a bird

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