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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — an aim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — clever
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. row — a line
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. row — a quarrel

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