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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cell — a phone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kick — in football
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — after costs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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