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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — a practice
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. drill — army training
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. scale — in music

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