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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a grade
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a line of people
  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