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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: wake · sharp · clip · fan · ball · lash · rest · board

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. board — a committee
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — for paper
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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