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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — a committee
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — a break
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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