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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 120 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — the season
  20. court — for sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. sharp — clever

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