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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: foot · fine · spell · fan · pitcher · sharp · wound · swing

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — high quality
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — letters
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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