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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mark — a trace
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fine — all right
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — a stone
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rock — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — in music
  18. firm — decided
  19. fine — high quality
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mark — a grade
  22. firm — steady
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. firm — a company

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