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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: ground · club · dip · sharp · march · calf · cell · safe

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for dancing
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. club — for golf
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in biology
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — clever
  16. club — a group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. dip — to sink
  24. march — the month

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