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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. band — a music group
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — army training
  14. lean — thin
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a ring
  22. lean — to bend
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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