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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — in golf
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. net — for catching
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. branch — a division
  12. rash — hasty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. sharp — clever

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