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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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