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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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