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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. current — electric
  9. land — a country
  10. current — happening now
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a dance

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