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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.

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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. net — for catching
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — to play on

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