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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — in a road

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