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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — a path
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. track — a song
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — to go on

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