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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — to rip
  12. game — wild animals
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. game — a match
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — for catching

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