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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a document
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — a hint
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rash — a series

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