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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 do anything ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bear — the animal
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — hurry
  24. land — a country

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