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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — clever
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cap — of ice
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — to wash

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