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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. charge — electricity
  8. present — there
  9. club — for dancing
  10. charge — a price
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — the time now
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. club — a group
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. club — for golf
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a match
  24. present — a gift

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