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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — moving air

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