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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cell — in biology
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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