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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. land — a country
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — to breed
  14. land — ground
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — a friend
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. ground — a position

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