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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spring — of water
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — in sport

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