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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kick — in football
  15. branch — a division
  16. squash — the sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. squash — to crush
  21. content — the amount
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — a trail

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