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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — all right
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. swing — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. face — to point toward
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to click
  12. fine — high quality
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — low music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bass — the fish
  24. sharp — clever

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