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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a ring
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. object — an aim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — a thing
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tube — a container
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. object — to protest
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the 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