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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — the most important part
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — hasty
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to click
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. key — in music
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — happy
  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