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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. sharp — clever
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rash — a series
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mouse — the animal

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