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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. foot — a measure
  17. present — there
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wind — to turn a key

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