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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — after costs
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — ground
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. suit — clothes
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. dip — a sauce

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