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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — in sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the fish
  13. net — for catching
  14. roll — a list
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. net — after costs
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bass — the instrument

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