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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tear — to rip
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — of the year
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chip — to eat
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. season — in sport

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