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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mate — to breed
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — rain
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fork — a garden tool

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