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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — magic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fine — all right
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — a short time
  23. scale — size or range
  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