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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mug — a face
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spell — letters
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — part of the body

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