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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — in music
  12. board — a committee
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — letters
  15. board — to get on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — magic
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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