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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — a gift
  6. shower — to wash
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — to paddle
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — to play on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fine — high quality
  23. row — a line
  24. racket — a loud noise

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