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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rest — what's left
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. club — for golf
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — to paddle
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — a line
  21. club — a group
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — exactly

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