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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pass — a permit
  3. sharp — clever
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. file — a document
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. dip — to sink
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — help
  20. file — a tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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