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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — to shout
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rock — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rock — to move gently

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