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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 124 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — a box
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — a path
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. track — a song
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — clever
  18. board — a committee
  19. lean — thin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. board — to get on

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