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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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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: rule · sharp · pound · club · calf · chest · perch · cell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. club — for dancing
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — the fish
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — a law
  24. cell — a phone

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