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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. suit — in cards
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rash — a series
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. snap — to click
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a ring
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a music group
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. straw — a straw man

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