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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a match
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. season — in sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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