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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — the underground
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tube — a container
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — help
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. object — a thing
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — in a tire

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