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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. roll — a list
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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