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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — a box
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a round shape

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