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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rash — hasty
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stand — to bear
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stand — on your feet

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