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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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