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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. cue — for pool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. net — after costs
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. net — for catching
  24. mine — an explosive

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