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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stand — to bear
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — in biology
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — part of the body

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