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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bass — low music
  3. kick — in football
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. suit — in cards
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. suit — clothes
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mate — a partner
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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