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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cap — a hat
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — soda
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — a coil
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — clever
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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