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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stand — to bear
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bass — low music
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. swing — to play on
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. swing — music

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