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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. roll — a list
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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