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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 120 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: rash · spell · pound · sharp · lean · ground · bat · ruler

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lean — to bend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — magic
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — letters
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lean — thin

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