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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. staff — a stick
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a match
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a dance
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — to lash out

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