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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — a series
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. last — final
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of law
  23. last — finally
  24. rash — hasty

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