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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. sharp — clever
  6. swing — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — in cards
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. net — for catching
  19. chip — for betting
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chip — in a computer

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