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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cell — in biology
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mug — a face
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. file — a tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — bread
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. game — a match

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