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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — rain
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a document
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — completely
  24. shower — to wash

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