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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. firm — steady
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. capital — a city
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tear — to rip
  17. firm — a company
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. firm — decided
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spell — a short time

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