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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — a hint
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — to play on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — the season
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — a supporter

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