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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — help
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. game — a match
  24. mate — a friend

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