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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — to recline
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — the fruit
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — in a prison

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