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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — farmland
  14. hand — help
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — the underground
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — a container
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. field — for sport

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