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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — to drill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. last — to go on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — final
  23. chip — to eat
  24. sharp — clever

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