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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spell — letters
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — a short time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — size or range
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — in music

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