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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — a group
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — farmland
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. calf — a young animal

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