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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. swing — to play on
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. snap — to click
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — in golf
  23. march — music
  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