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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fine — all right
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. row — to paddle

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