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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: pass · sharp · hand · bore · wound · chair · jam · date

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hand — help
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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