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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ground — a position
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — a stick

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