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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — of law
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mark — a trace
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mark — a grade
  14. craft — a skill
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. craft — boats
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to click
  20. pass — a permit
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — of a king
  24. racket — a loud noise

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