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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — of a word
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. clip — to cut
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. root — the cause
  18. chest — a box
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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