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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mine — for digging
  6. track — a path
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. track — to keep track
  20. plane — a tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — an illness

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