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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fall — the season
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — a series
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. shower — rain

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