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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — a position
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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