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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pass — a permit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cap — of ice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — a country
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

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