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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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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 · cold · mug · cell · saw · board · toast · bay

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. board — a committee
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — a phone
  8. toast — bread
  9. board — to get on
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mug — a face

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