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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ground — a position
  5. net — for catching
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rash — a series
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — a box
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ground — crushed
  21. net — after costs
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — an eyelash

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