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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — to play on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. racket — for tennis

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