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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. shower — rain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a committee
  17. bass — low music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mark — a trace
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. board — a flat piece

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