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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cue — a hint
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — a young animal

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