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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. key — in music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fork — in a road
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — a garden tool

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