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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to click
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chair — a professorship

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