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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — in a road
  7. row — a line
  8. tear — to rip
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. key — in music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fall — the season
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a professorship

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