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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. board — a committee
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. can — a tin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. can — to be able to
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. spring — of water
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. board — to get on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spring — the season
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. board — a flat piece

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