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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fall — the season
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pop — music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. land — ground
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — soda
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — low music

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