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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cell — a phone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. club — for golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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