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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. swing — in golf
  10. club — for golf
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ground — crushed
  14. club — a group
  15. swing — music
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  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