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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — soda
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. date — the fruit
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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