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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: rest · sharp · lie · bowl · jam · cell · calf · tear

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lie — an untruth

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