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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 116 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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a word
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. root — the cause
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bass — low music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — a country

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