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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 124 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. net — for catching
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — of water
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — electric
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — size or range
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — after costs
  19. kid — child
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — for weighing

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