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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — in sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — after costs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — for catching
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — in cards

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