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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a line of people
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — in cards
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. file — a document
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — hurry
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. calf — a young animal

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