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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — a line
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — of a king
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. court — of law
  14. fine — all right
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. row — to paddle
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — a quarrel

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