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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bank — for money
  3. cue — for pool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — obliged
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bank — of a river
  20. swing — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — certain

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