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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — clever
  3. race — humankind
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — a contest
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bass — low music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kick — with a leg

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