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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · lash · bound · last · march · dip · cabinet · wind

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. march — the month
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — obliged
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. last — finally
  16. march — music
  17. game — a match
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wind — to turn a key

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