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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — a position
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mark — a grade
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ground — crushed
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  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