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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a list
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. perch — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — low music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — hurry
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — not warm
  24. roll — on a roll

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