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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — low music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — all right
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — a song
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pit — in a race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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