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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. roll — a list
  7. present — there
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — the time now
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. present — a gift
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bound — tied together
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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