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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. content — happy
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — of the year
  24. content — the amount

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