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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lean — to bend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. date — the fruit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — in music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lean — thin

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