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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ball — a great time
  12. can — a tin
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. row — a line
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — to paddle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. vault — a safe
  21. deal — to handle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a quarrel

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