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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — obliged
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — a grade
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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