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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. track — a path
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — a song
  20. fall — to drop
  21. key — for a lock
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — clever
  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