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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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