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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — to breed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — rain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mate — a friend
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. last — finally
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — to wash
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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