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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — for catching
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hand — help
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — after costs

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