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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a great time
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. suit — to fit
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. present — a gift
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — ground
  13. suit — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. present — there

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