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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: stick · rock · cap · fan · pop · saw · net · sharp

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — for catching
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pop — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — a supporter

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