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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — clever
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — a series
  6. suit — in cards
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — a container
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. club — a group
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. kid — child
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mine — belonging to me

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