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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — to crush
  5. present — a gift
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fall — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — the time now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — there

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