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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a dance
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a great time
  16. march — the month
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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