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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. dip — to sink
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. game — a match
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bass — low music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — finally
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. staff — a stick
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. bass — the fish
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — with an edge

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