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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — to bend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lean — thin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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