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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. swing — music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pit — a hole
  21. scale — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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