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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — hasty
  11. charge — a price
  12. chest — a box
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — of a word

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