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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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 — with an edge
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — the arms race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — a face
  11. wound — an injury
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mug — to rob
  20. race — a contest
  21. bass — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — humankind
  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