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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — a price
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — in cards
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — electricity
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — clever
  14. charge — in control
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hand — help
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pass — to spend time

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