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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. can — to be able to
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kick — in football
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rash — a series

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