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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. row — a line
  8. pound — a weight
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pass — a permit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — a safe
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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