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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — low music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cap — of ice
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — for catching
  16. race — a contest
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — humankind
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fan — a supporter

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