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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. spell — letters
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spell — magic

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