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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lean — thin
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bass — low music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rock — music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — of the year
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. clip — a video
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — to cut

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