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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fine — all right
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fine — a penalty

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