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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — of water
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. game — a match
  6. pit — in a race
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pit — a hole
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lean — to rest against

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