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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: toast · saw · sharp · lash · row · court · charge · kid

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. charge — in control
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. toast — bread
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — electricity
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. charge — a price
  16. row — a line
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. court — of a king
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — child
  24. toast — the most admired

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