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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. net — in sport
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. net — for catching
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. swing — in golf
  24. capital — money

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