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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — a face
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — help
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. tube — a container
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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