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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kid — child
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — clever
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. date — on the calendar

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