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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kid — child
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hand — in cards
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — for digging

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