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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pit — a hole
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pit — in a race
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — to go on
  15. rock — a stone
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rock — 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