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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rest — a break
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lash — an eyelash

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