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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bass — low music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pop — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — of water
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bass — the fish

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