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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. roll — a list
  4. cold — an illness
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cold — not warm
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — in a road
  15. roll — a cake
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. key — in music
  20. snap — to click
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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