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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. shower — rain
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — the season

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