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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rule — government
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. roll — a cake
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. net — for catching

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