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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — after costs
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. net — in sport
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — for catching
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — a list
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. sharp — exactly
  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