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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. current — electric
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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