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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a document
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. degree — from a university
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a tool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. degree — temperature

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