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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: bat · nail · bass · mark · fine · wound · sharp · mine

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fine — all right
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — a trace
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bass — low music

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