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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. swing — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tube — a container
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — for catching
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — clever

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