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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — of the year
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. dip — to sink
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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