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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. object — to protest
  9. spell — a short time
  10. race — humankind
  11. rush — hurry
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. object — a thing
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. race — a contest
  23. object — an aim
  24. lash — to lash out

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