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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fall — the season
  7. net — after costs
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. plane — a tool
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. drill — army training

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