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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. object — an aim
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cell — a phone
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — electric
  12. object — to protest
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. object — a thing
  22. row — a line
  23. current — of water
  24. cell — in a prison

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