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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. land — ground
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chip — for betting
  24. can — a tin

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