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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — the season
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. swing — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — child
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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