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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — a weight
  13. clip — for paper
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. game — a match
  19. clip — a video
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — a straw man

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