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

Word bank: lash · present · swing · cue · rush · wound · sharp · court

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. present — there
  3. swing — music
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. present — a gift
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cue — a signal
  21. present — the time now
  22. court — of a king
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. court — of law

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