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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — of a river
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ball — a dance
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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