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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — a city
  11. spring — a coil
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spring — the season
  19. craft — boats
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pop — soda
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. toast — bread
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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