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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — a partner
  11. firm — a company
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. swing — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — to breed
  18. shower — rain
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. firm — steady
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — letters
  24. swing — in golf

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