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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rash — a series
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mug — a cup
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mug — a face
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wake — a trail

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