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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — to sink
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. band — a ring
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to click
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rest — what's left
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rest — a break
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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