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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. net — for catching

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