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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. spring — the season
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. hand — in cards
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. dip — to sink
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — of water
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — help
  16. board — to get on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — a committee
  21. spring — a coil
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — to paddle

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