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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. net — in sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — after costs
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — for catching
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — for digging
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bass — the fish
  23. vault — a safe
  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