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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. firm — decided
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. firm — steady
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. firm — a company
  24. pitcher — a jug

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