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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — the time now
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — soda
  21. cue — a hint
  22. present — there
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. band — a ring

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