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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — the tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fine — all right
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. drill — army training
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fine — high quality
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — a video
  18. band — a music group
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a ring
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. snap — to click

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