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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 120 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: cell · sharp · tear · calf · bay · foot · race · prune

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cell — a phone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — a measure
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. race — the arms race
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — a contest
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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