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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mark — a trace

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