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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — a group
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fine — all right
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. band — a music group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. band — a ring

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