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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: deal · bore · object · bat · shower · chair · sharp · bay

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. object — an aim
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. object — a thing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — rain
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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