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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — to wash
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — rain
  17. drill — the tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ground — a position
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. ground — the earth
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — of a plant

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