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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — after costs
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — a position
  16. swing — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — of water
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. arm — a part of something

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