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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a line of people
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — rain
  11. rest — a break
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — the most important part
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. key — in music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the fish

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