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

Word bank: wave · kid · pass · sharp · lean · cell · chair · drill

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chair — a leader
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pass — a permit
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — to tease

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