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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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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: rock · chair · lash · sharp · bowl · tear · cell · dip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. dip — to sink
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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