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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. net — for catching
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. hand — help
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. net — after costs

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