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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. craft — boats
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — clever
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — a match
  17. craft — a skill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — to tease
  20. vault — a safe
  21. kid — child
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — to rip

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