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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — the fish
  14. roll — a list
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. roll — a cake
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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