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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. swing — music
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — to play on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — a country
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rest — a break
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mug — a face
  24. land — to come down

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