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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pound — for dogs

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