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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — for catching
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. temple — side of the head

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