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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tube — a container
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tube — the underground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — with your hand

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