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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — low music
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — to be able to
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — hasty
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kick — in football
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kick — with a leg

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