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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 · sharp · wake · cold · nail · cap · object · calf

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cap — a hat
  18. toast — bread
  19. object — an aim
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. sharp — clever
  24. calf — a young animal

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