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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bound — tied together

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