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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. land — a country
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bore — to drill
  17. land — to come down
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — ground
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bowl — a dish

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