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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · dip · mug · bat · staff · rash

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. dip — to sink
  10. sharp — clever
  11. staff — employees
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bat — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — a series

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