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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. shower — rain
  4. rule — a law
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. capital — a city
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — a gift
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hand — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. capital — money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rule — government
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — there
  24. hand — help

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