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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rush — hurry
  7. drill — army training
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — a face
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mug — a cup
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — a video
  19. season — of the year
  20. drill — the tool
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mug — to rob
  23. season — in sport
  24. suit — to fit

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