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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wind — moving air
  4. suit — clothes
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — help
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mark — a trace
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mark — a grade
  22. suit — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. suit — to fit

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