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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. present — there
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rest — what's left
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. charge — electricity
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. foot — a measure
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. snap — to click
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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