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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — for betting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. last — final
  19. roll — a list
  20. chest — a box
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go 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