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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. row — a line
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ground — crushed

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