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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rule — government
  12. pass — a permit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — after costs
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — the tool

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