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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chest — a box
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fork — to eat with

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