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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. firm — steady
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — in football
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. firm — a company

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