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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spring — of water
  13. kid — child
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cell — in biology
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spring — the season

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