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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. game — wild animals
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bear — the animal

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