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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. capital — money
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — a city
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lean — to bend
  14. face — part of the head
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lean — thin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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