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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — a stick

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