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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — finally
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — of water
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. last — to go on
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spring — the season
  19. stand — to bear
  20. track — a path
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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