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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — tied together
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — a partner
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. staff — a stick
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cap — of ice
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fine — a penalty

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