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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — to tease
  5. net — for catching
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — after costs
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — magic
  24. drill — the tool

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