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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · chair · tear · sharp · mate · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying

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