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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. dip — to sink
  6. current — electric
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. current — happening now
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — a box
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. game — a match

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