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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fine — all right
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. plane — a tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rock — music
  24. net — after costs

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