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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. club — a group
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. capital — money
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fine — high quality
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. capital — a city
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rock — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — with an edge

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