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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pound — a weight
  7. shower — rain
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. swing — music

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