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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bank — of a river
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a word
  17. bank — for money
  18. band — a ring
  19. mug — a cup
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — finally
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. root — the cause
  24. mug — a face

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