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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — the tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — of the year
  23. cell — in biology
  24. staff — employees

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