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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitch — completely
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — clever

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