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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — to rob
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — the animal

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