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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 not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mate — to breed
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — the cause
  10. mate — a friend
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. swing — music
  24. plane — a tool

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