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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 116 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: game · club · lash · snap · bound · scale · row · sharp

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. row — to paddle
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — certain
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — tied together
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — in music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bound — obliged
  23. row — a line
  24. club — a group

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