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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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. net — for catching
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cap — a lid
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — of law
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. trunk — of a car

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