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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · mine · bound · sharp · fine · spell · bass · fork

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — all right
  5. bound — certain
  6. mine — for digging
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — magic
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — low music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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