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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — to wash
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — after costs
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pitch — completely

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