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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — a break
  7. root — the cause
  8. row — a line
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cap — of ice
  18. root — of a word
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — a lid

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