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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. snap — to click
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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