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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cap — a hat
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. file — a line of people
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — the season
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bark — to shout
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bark — of a tree

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