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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — to go on
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. last — final

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