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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — finally
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. last — to go on
  14. charge — electricity
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. sharp — with an edge

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