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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. file — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. file — a document
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — the time now
  8. lean — thin
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. net — in sport
  14. present — there
  15. net — for catching
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. present — a gift
  22. ball — a great time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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