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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. track — a path
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — in football
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — low music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. craft — boats

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