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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. season — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — help
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. drill — army training
  8. land — ground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. land — to come down
  18. band — a ring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. band — a music group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — a practice

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