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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: hand · court · mark · key · charge · sharp · shower · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. key — the most important part
  4. court — of a king
  5. shower — to wash
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. charge — a price
  15. key — in music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — a trace
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — electricity
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hand — part of the body

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