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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — in sport
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — for pool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — obliged
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. squash — the sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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