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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. perch — the fish
  4. game — a match
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. drill — a practice
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. drill — army training
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — hasty

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