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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ground — the earth

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