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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — finally
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fall — the season
  8. band — a music group
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — a position
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — child
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. fall — to drop

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