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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — for dancing
  6. sharp — clever
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. game — wild animals
  9. club — for golf
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — to come from
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — letters
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — magic

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