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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — a coil
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — of water
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spring — the season
  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