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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — a stone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — tied together
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — to rip
  24. snap — to click

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