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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. sharp — clever
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. file — a document
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — the season

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