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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
468
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: spell · bore · lie · hand · bass · sharp · swing · racket

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — help
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — magic
  8. sharp — clever
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — low music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — in golf

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