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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — an injury

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