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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — a short time
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pass — a permit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — a cup
  11. roll — a list
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spell — letters
  19. shower — rain
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — moving air
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wind — to turn a key

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