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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — tied together
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chip — to eat

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