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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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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. swing — to play on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mark — a trace
  12. sharp — clever
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. swing — in golf
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — a series
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rash — on the skin

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