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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: sharp · march · swing · clip · saw · calf · rule · fan

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — for paper
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fan — a supporter

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