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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kick — in football
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mark — a grade
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — help
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — the fruit

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