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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. firm — steady
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. last — to go on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. last — final
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mouse — the animal

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