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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — a line
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — a series
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bass — low music

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