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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ground — crushed
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. face — to confront
  9. suit — in cards
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — the earth
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — a position
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play on

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