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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fine — all right
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — child
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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