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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fall — the season
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — for betting
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pass — a permit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to click
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chip — in a computer

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