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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — a lid
  4. scale — in music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kid — child
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. key — in music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — hurry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kid — to tease
  23. key — for a lock
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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