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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: sharp · cold · suit · mine · swing · bay · lash · bat

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. suit — clothes
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mine — for digging
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bat — the animal
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — not warm
  24. swing — to play on

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