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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a hat
  16. swing — music
  17. spell — letters
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — magic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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