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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. degree — an amount
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. swing — music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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