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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. club — a group
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — magic
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. last — final
  14. swing — music
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — to go on
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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