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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — music
  8. key — in music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. field — a subject
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pop — soda
  14. key — the most important part
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. key — for a lock
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — to come from
  24. season — of the year

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