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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fall — the season
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — to go on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — a box
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. last — finally
  19. tear — from crying
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — to rip
  24. craft — boats

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