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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a match
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. suit — in cards
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spring — the season
  19. ball — a great time
  20. suit — clothes
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. suit — to fit
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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