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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fork — in a road
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. charge — electricity
  5. content — happy
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. content — the amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cold — not warm

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