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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rule — government
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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