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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chip — to eat
  4. swing — music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — help
  14. key — in music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — to play on
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — rain
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lash — to lash out

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