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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. rule — government
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. file — a document
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — the tool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — army training
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. scale — in music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — help
  24. dip — to sink

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