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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bore — to tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cold — not warm

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