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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — a permit

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