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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — after costs
  8. fine — all right
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cold — not warm
  12. net — in sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. net — for catching
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bass — low music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — with an edge

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