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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. swing — in golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. net — in sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — help
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. scale — in music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. swing — to play on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. safe — out of danger

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