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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. shower — rain
  6. rest — a break
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lie — to recline
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lash — to lash out

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