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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — all right
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. root — the cause
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a word
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — help
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — to sit on

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