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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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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: club · rock · fine · ground · sharp · cabinet · last · bowl

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. club — for dancing
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. last — finally
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ground — crushed
  15. club — a group
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ground — a position
  19. rock — a stone
  20. club — for golf
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fine — high quality

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