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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pit — a hole
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — of a word
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. root — of a plant
  15. file — a document
  16. stand — to bear
  17. clip — to cut
  18. root — the cause
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stand — on your feet

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