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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — a gift
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. present — the time now
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — in cards
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — there
  24. field — a subject

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