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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cold — an illness
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cap — a hat
  9. firm — decided
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. firm — a company
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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