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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pop — to visit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — of a king
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — of law

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