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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — a series
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. game — a match
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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