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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pop — music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mouse — for a computer

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