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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — clever
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mate — a partner
  8. deal — to handle
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rest — a break
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — rain
  24. chair — a leader

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