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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. root — of a word
  12. plane — a tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rush — hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pit — a hole
  21. root — the cause
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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