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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — to recline
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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