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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. vault — a safe
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bank — of a river
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. net — after costs
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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