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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · tube · foot · kid · file · board · mark · calf

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. mark — a trace
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. tube — the underground
  15. file — a document
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — a grade
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. file — a line of people

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