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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to click
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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