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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: bat · lash · patient · bay · mug · rash · sharp · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — to come down
  6. mug — a face
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — to lash out

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