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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. swing — to play on
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. bass — low music
  16. spell — magic
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. sharp — clever
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — a kind of play

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