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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. net — for catching
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — to come from
  16. foot — a measure
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lean — thin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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