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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — a break
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rock — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kid — child
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — to tease

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