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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. suit — to fit
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pop — soda
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pop — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. hand — in cards

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