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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — a city

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