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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — the fish
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chair — a leader
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — a trail
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bass — low music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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