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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fall — to drop
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spell — letters
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — in sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spell — magic
  24. cell — a phone

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