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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — in music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kick — in football

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