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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: toast · hide · calf · row · hand · file · sharp · leaves

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — help
  6. toast — bread
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — in cards
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. calf — of the leg

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