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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — there
  6. pitch — completely
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rule — government
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — a box
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

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