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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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