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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. drill — army training
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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