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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
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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: clip · straw · land · lean · mark · cue · sharp · bay

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — a trace
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — a country
  9. lean — thin
  10. cue — for pool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — a video
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — to come down
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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