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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. land — a country
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. capital — money
  7. land — to come down
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rock — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. saw — the tool

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