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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. net — after costs
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — a series
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. temple — a place of worship

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