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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — a break
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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