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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — for catching
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — music
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spell — a short time
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — in sport

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