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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hand — help
  8. charge — in control
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. charge — a price
  24. wound — an injury

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