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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bass — low music
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — obliged
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — a trail
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fine — high quality

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