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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — for golf
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spell — letters
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kick — in football

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