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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — a thing
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — to come down
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — a partner
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — a country
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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