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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. swing — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — soda
  7. stem — to come from
  8. row — a line
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — a law
  20. fall — the season
  21. pop — music
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — to visit

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