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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. present — there
  4. object — a thing
  5. kid — child
  6. last — to go on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — finally
  10. object — to protest
  11. present — a gift
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — to paddle
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — final
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kid — to tease
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. court — of law
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. court — for sport
  22. row — a line
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. court — of a king

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