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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. object — an aim
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. net — after costs
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. object — a thing
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. object — to protest
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — the animal

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