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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chest — a box
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — rain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — to keep track
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — to wash
  24. temple — side of the head

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