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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 116 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — help
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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