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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — completely
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. staff — a stick
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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