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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — a law
  3. face — part of the head
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rule — government
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. face — to confront
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. saw — the tool

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