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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lie — to recline
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — money
  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