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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — steady
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — decided
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. firm — a company
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — a phone
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cell — in biology

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