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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a ring
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chip — for betting
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. swing — music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. shower — rain

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