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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. hand — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — finally
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pit — in a race
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — final
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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