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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — finally
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the sport
  10. last — final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — to go on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — the tool

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