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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — a committee
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — to go on
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. board — to get on
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — to paddle
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. last — final
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — finally
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. snap — to click
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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