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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. shower — rain
  3. lean — to bend
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — to wash
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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