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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spell — letters
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — magic
  22. lean — to bend
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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