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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cold — an illness
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cold — not warm
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rock — a stone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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