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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · pass · rash · sharp · pitcher · hand · present · tear

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — hasty
  11. present — there
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rash — a series
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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