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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pass — a permit
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pass — to spend time

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