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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.

Words on the sheet
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: calf · leaves · bore · bat · racket · row · sharp · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bore — to tire
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. scale — size or range
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — in music
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — to drill
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. row — to paddle

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