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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. sharp — clever
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rock — music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fine — all right
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — to play on
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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