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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — a price
  11. tear — to rip
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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