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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chest — a box
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kick — in football

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