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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — a match
  10. object — a thing
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. suit — to fit
  13. club — a group
  14. bat — the animal
  15. club — for golf
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. club — for dancing

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