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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: rest · calf · kid · mark · sharp · deal · bank · roll

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rest — a break
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a grade
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bank — for money
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kid — child
  18. deal — to handle
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — a list
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bank — of a river

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