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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fine — all right
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — soda
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a line of people

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