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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — a container
  8. mark — a trace
  9. craft — boats
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — to be able to
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — the underground
  16. can — a tin
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ball — a dance

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