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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bank — for money
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — child
  17. mine — for digging
  18. file — a tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kid — to tease
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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