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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: sharp · dip · mine · calf · rash · march · bark · game

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. game — a match
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rash — hasty
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mine — for digging

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