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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 124 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a face
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — magic
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lash — to lash out

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