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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hand — help
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. row — a line
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fine — all right
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. hand — in cards
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — an injury

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