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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rule — government
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — help
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cell — a phone
  18. present — a gift
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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