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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kid — to tease
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. board — to get on
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. scale — size or range
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. kid — child
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. board — a committee

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