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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pop — soda
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — rain
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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