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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — the time now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — in music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. key — the most important part
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. present — there
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. present — a gift

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