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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. root — the cause
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — to trim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. face — to confront
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — of a word

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