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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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. spring — the season
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. craft — a skill
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — in a road
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. craft — boats
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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