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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mouse — for a computer

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