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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fine — all right
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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