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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cold — not warm
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — for digging
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — after costs

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