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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pitch — completely
  24. row — a line

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