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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · row · saw · craft · chest · kick · wake · season

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — in sport
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — to paddle
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. craft — a skill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. row — a line
  22. craft — boats
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wake — before a funeral

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