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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — the animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ball — a great time
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ball — a dance
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fan — a supporter

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