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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. swing — music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rule — government
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — a price
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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