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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bass — low music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spell — magic
  15. mug — a face
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mug — a cup
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. spell — letters
  24. wind — moving air

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