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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — rain
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — in golf
  10. land — a country
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. land — ground
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. swing — music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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