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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · fall · calf · pitch · deal · sharp · tear · jam

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. tear — to rip
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. deal — to handle
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

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