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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: calf · rock · sharp · stick · trunk · cold · lie · pitch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — a sports field

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