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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. shower — rain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mate — a partner
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mate — a friend
  17. swing — music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — in a race

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