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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. plane — in geometry

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