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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. shower — to wash

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