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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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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bass — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — exactly

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