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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — of the year
  14. file — a line of people
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rash — hasty
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — rain
  19. file — a document
  20. season — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a 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