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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — a price
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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