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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — rain
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bass — low music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. field — farmland

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