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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — electric
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. current — happening now
  21. rock — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. current — of water

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