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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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a line
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. face — to point toward
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. row — to paddle

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