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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. hand — help
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. suit — clothes
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — to bear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tear — to rip
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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