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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. clip — for paper
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — the time now
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. clip — a video
  16. present — a gift
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — there
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — a list
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. roll — a cake
  24. dip — to sink

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