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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. roll — a list
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pound — a weight
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. roll — on a roll

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