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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. scale — in music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. fine — all right
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — size or range

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