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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. snap — to click
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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