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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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — finally
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. land — ground
  7. last — final
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. land — a country
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a friend
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. march — the month
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — to handle
  23. last — to go on
  24. plane — a tool

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