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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. charge — in control
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — child
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — rain
  20. fork — in a road
  21. charge — a price
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. tube — a container
  24. kid — to tease

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