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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mug — a cup
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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