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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cue — a hint
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. object — to protest
  11. fall — the season
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — tied together
  15. present — the time now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — of the year
  18. cue — for pool
  19. season — in sport
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — an aim
  24. fall — to drop

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