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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. present — a gift
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — soda
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. present — the time now
  20. mine — for digging
  21. present — there
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pop — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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