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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. key — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. cold — not warm
  10. shower — rain
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. key — for a lock
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — high quality
  18. march — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. board — a committee
  21. key — the most important part
  22. march — the month
  23. board — to get on
  24. fine — all right

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