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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a ring

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