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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. shower — to wash
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — magic
  17. capital — money
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  24. spell — letters

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