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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — a grade
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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