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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 124 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ground — crushed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bear — the animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. charge — in control
  17. bass — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ground — a position
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. date — the fruit

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