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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — soda
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. object — a thing
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pop — to visit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. object — an aim
  19. club — for dancing
  20. object — to protest
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pop — music
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — a group

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