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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. firm — a company
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. firm — steady
  13. perch — the fish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — clever
  23. firm — decided
  24. drill — army training

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