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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. staff — employees

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