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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — music
  5. rock — music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rock — a stone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pop — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. staff — employees
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — soda
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rush — to hurry

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