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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wake — a trail
  17. field — farmland
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — the season

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