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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.

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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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