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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — a match
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pound — a weight
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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