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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — a division
  24. kick — in football

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