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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — magic
  4. club — for golf
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — a group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fall — the season
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. spell — a short time
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — a break
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a line

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