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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rock — a stone
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — clever
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — child
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rock — to move gently

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