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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rush — hurry
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — to lash out

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