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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: can · wind · sharp · fine · mark · rush · racket · mine

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a trace
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — all right
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — to be able to
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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