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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. date — the fruit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — in sport
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rock — music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mug — a cup
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — in biology
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — in music
  19. net — after costs
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mug — to rob
  24. net — for catching

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