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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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468
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: squash · sharp · bound · ball · arm · bat · calf · leaves

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ball — a great time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — to crush
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. squash — the sport

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