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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — in sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — all right
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — after costs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pop — soda
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — high quality
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — to visit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — in music

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