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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pit — in a race
  9. spring — the season
  10. net — in sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — a hole
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — a coil
  21. deal — to handle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. sharp — clever

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