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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mine — for digging
  24. safe — out of danger

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