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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — of the year
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — in sport
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — the instrument

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