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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — of ice
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — a company
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — a series
  13. firm — decided
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. scale — for weighing

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