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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. band — a music group
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. band — a ring
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bass — low music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. band — a rubber band

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