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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a match
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spell — letters
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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