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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — after costs
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — in football
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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