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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — a series
  9. rest — a break
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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