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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fine — all right
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a music group
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — a country
  18. clip — to cut
  19. band — a ring
  20. fine — high quality
  21. clip — a video
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mate — a friend

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