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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — government
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. lean — thin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. craft — boats
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — to rule out

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