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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — magic
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. deal — to handle
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — letters
  23. swing — in golf
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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