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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — in a road
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — in an idiom

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