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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pop — soda
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pop — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bowl — a football final

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