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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tube — a container
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — a short time
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — magic
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — a face
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spell — letters
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — an eyelash

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