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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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 — with an edge
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stem — to come from
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — the animal
  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