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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — to handle
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. object — to protest
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — the fish
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — child
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — to tease

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