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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 124 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rock — music
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. last — to go on
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. land — a country
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. game — a match
  22. land — to come down
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rock — a stone

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