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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rest — what's left

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