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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — a box
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hand — help
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cap — of ice
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. sharp — with an edge

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