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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 124 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — to play on
  4. craft — boats
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. sharp — clever
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — after costs
  24. band — a ring

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