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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rule — a law
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — in sport
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rule — government
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — a line
  21. net — for catching
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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