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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — exactly

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