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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tear — to rip
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — a stick
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. capital — a city
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a path

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