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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — hurry
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — on the skin

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