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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. drill — army training
  13. file — a document
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chest — a box
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. drill — a practice
  23. sharp — clever
  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