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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — to shout
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. sharp — clever
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — magic
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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