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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — to fit
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. sharp — exactly

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