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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — in football
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rock — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — after costs
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. roll — a list
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kick — with a leg

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