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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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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: mark · can · rock · mine · rule · calf · bat · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rock — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mark — a trace

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