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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — a face
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — for betting

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