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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 112 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.

Make a worksheet

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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — a country
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. land — to come down
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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