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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. firm — a company
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — decided
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. firm — steady
  24. pitcher — a jug

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