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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. can — a tin
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cap — a lid
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — low music

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