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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — in sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — a short time
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. scale — size or range
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — letters
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — in music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. season — to add flavour

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