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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — letters
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — a group
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — for golf
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. club — for dancing

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