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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — for digging
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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