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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spring — the season
  13. rock — music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — of water
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. kid — child

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