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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — for money
  5. band — a music group
  6. bank — for money
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ground — the earth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bank — of a river
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — crushed
  18. file — a line of people
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. file — a tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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