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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. craft — boats
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pitch — completely
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. craft — a skill
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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