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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. object — to protest
  8. board — to get on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. sharp — clever
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — a group
  14. object — an aim
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mark — a grade
  19. board — a committee
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. object — a thing
  22. club — for golf
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to click

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