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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — a thing
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. staff — a stick
  12. date — the fruit
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rush — hurry
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — an aim

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