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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — army training
  21. rest — a break
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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