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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spell — a short time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. object — to protest
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. object — a thing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chair — a leader
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. foot — a measure
  17. object — an aim
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ruler — a monarch

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