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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. squash — to crush

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