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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 116 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — rain
  9. march — music
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. perch — the fish
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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