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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a grade
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a dance
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a great time
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — clever

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