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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. vault — a safe
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — after costs
  6. lean — thin
  7. band — a ring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stand — to bear
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a music group
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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