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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — rain
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. net — for catching
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. key — for a lock
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wax — in the ear

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