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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — in sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — in a road
  14. net — after costs
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — low music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. band — a ring
  24. tube — in a tire

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