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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 120 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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — obliged
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — a weight
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pop — music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — soda
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — for dogs

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