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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — a hole
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fork — in a road
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tube — a container
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bass — low music
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. pit — in a race

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