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

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — child
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tube — a container
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stem — of a plant

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