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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fine — high quality
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. net — in sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spell — magic

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